Strategies for Writing a Conclusion

Conclusions are often the most difficult part of an essay to write, and many writers feel that they have nothing left to say after having written the paper. A writer needs to keep in mind that the conclusion is often what a reader remembers best. Your conclusion should be the best part of your paper.

A conclusion should

stress the importance of the thesis statement,

give the essay a sense of completeness, and

leave a final impression on the reader.

Suggestions

Answer the question "So What?"

Show your readers why this paper was important. Show them that your paper
was meaningful and useful.

Synthesize, don't summarize

Don't simply repeat things that were in your paper. They have read it.
Show them how the points you made and the support and examples you used
were not random, but fit together.

Redirect your readers

Give your reader something to think about, perhaps a way to use your
paper in the "real" world. If your introduction went from general to specific,
make your conclusion go from specific to general. Think globally.

Create a new meaning

You don't have to give new information to create a new meaning. By demonstrating how your ideas work together, you can create a new picture. Often the sum of the paper is worth more than its parts.

Strategies

Echoing the introduction: Echoing your introduction can
be a good strategy if it is meant to bring the reader full-circle. If you
begin by describing a scenario, you can end with the same scenario as proof
that your essay was helpful in creating a new understanding.

Example

Introduction

From the parking lot, I could see the towers of the castle of the Magic
Kingdom standing stately against the blue sky. To the right, the tall peak
of The Matterhorn rose even higher. From the left, I could hear the jungle
sounds of Adventureland. As I entered the gate, Main Street stretched before
me with its quaint shops evoking an old-fashioned small town so charming
it could never have existed. I was entranced. Disneyland may have been built
for children, but it brings out the child in adults.

Conclusion

I thought I would spend a few hours at Disneyland, but here I was at 1:00
A.M., closing time, leaving the front gates with the now dark towers of
the Magic Kingdom behind me. I could see tired children, toddling along
and struggling to keep their eyes open as best they could. Others slept
in their parents' arms as we waited for the parking lot tram that would
take us to our cars. My forty-year-old feet ached, and I felt a bit sad
to think that in a couple of days I would be leaving California, my vacation
over, to go back to my desk. But then I smiled to think that for at least
a day I felt ten years old again.

Challenging the reader: By issuing a challenge to your
readers, you are helping them to redirect the information in the paper, and
they may apply it to their own lives.

Example

Though serving on a jury is not only a civic responsibility but also
an interesting experience, many people still view jury duty as a chore
that interrupts their jobs and the routine of their daily lives. However,
juries are part of America's attempt to be a free and just society. Thus,
jury duty challenges us to be interested and responsible citizens.

Looking to the future: Looking to the future can emphasize
the importance of your paper or redirect the readers' thought process. It
may help them apply the new information to their lives or see things more
globally.

Example

Without well-qualified teachers, schools are little more than buildings
and equipment. If higher-paying careers continue to attract the best and
the brightest students, there will not only be a shortage of teachers,
but the teachers available may not have the best qualifications. Our youth
will suffer. And when youth suffers, the future suffers.

Posing questions: Posing questions, either to your readers
or in general, may help your readers gain a new perspective on the topic,
which they may not have held before reading your conclusion. It may also bring
your main ideas together to create a new meaning.

Example

Campaign advertisements should help us understand the candidate's qualifications
and positions on the issues. Instead, most tell us what a boob or knave
the opposing candidate is, or they present general images of the candidate
as a family person or God-fearing American. Do such advertisements contribute
to creating an informed electorate or a people who choose political leaders
the same way they choose soft drinks and soap?

This handout was written by Randa Holewa; Joe Mathison completed
the html markup for the Write Place, St. Cloud State University: it was updated
by Judith Kilborn. This document may be copied for educational purposes only.
If you copy this document, please include our copyright notice and the name
of the writer; if you revise it, please add your name to the list of writers.

Techniques and examples are adapted from Basic Writing: A First Course, by Peter Carino, Harper Collins, 1991.